Design Trends and Inspiration

Meet the beautiful and functional products of Eva Solo. The philosophy that drives design at the company is that “everywhere life is lived, we aim to create a more pleasurable experience – in the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room or the garden.” Here’s a tempting sampling of some of their innovative modern designs for everyday objects.

This philosophy even applies to feeding the birds, where their Standing Bird Table is a piece of modern sculpture.

They also make life easier — their planters water themselves. There will be no more dried out basil plants in the kitchen. This is the Selfwatering Flowerpot.

They even make dieting and cooking easier — this digital scale is one you’ll want to leave out on the counter to keep you in check, with its colorful, minimalist design.

This fireproof porcelain Table Grill means you can grill your food right at the table, whether your at home, at the beach or out to the backyard.

No it’s not SunCountry or Bartles and James, the Staycool Wine Cooler is a stylish little jacket that will keep your rosé at the right temperature while jazzing it up in a cool outfit.

This is just the tip of the Eva Solo iceberg — we carry a wide array of their brilliantly designed cookware, kitchen utensils, serveware, china, glassware, teapots, jugs and much more. Eva Solo products make great housewarming, hostess and wedding gifts, and of course the best kind of gift, one for yourself.

We have added several new brands to our site that we are very excited to share with you! Today we’re introducing Nambé. Nambé is a company that has been combining art and function since 1951. They design their pieces with timelessness in mind. If you’re ever looking for a housewarming, wedding, holiday or birthday gift for a modernist, you don’t have to look any further than Namba. From sculptural metal-plated frames to flatware, platters to wine chillers, and nativities to menorahs, there’s a beautifully handcrafted gift for every modern fan on your list. Of course, feel no shame in treating yourself — you’ll enjoy your Nambé forever and pass it along as an heirloom. Here’s just a small sampling to whet your appetite.

Nambé Jazz Kettle. This piece is a great example of how Nambé’s products can fit into kitchens from traditional to ultra-contemporary. It’s beautiful lines are classic, its mix of materials is modern at its best.

Nambé Blend Bar Board with Knife. Acacia wood and stainless steel are a gorgeous combination, and the curved niche for the cutting knife is such a clever touch. Keep this on the bar to slice up your limes at G&T time.

Nambé Curvo Colander. We had no idea a colander could be so sexy before we saw this one. You won’t want to stash it away in a cabinet when it’s not in use, but rather will wind up showing it off on display somewhere.

Black and white provides that bold graphic punch that never goes out of style. You can stick with strictly the two colors (well, technically, white is the absence of color and black is all of the colors, or I think I learned something like that in art class, but I digress … ), or you can add dashes of other colors. Bold orange, taxicab yellow, royal blue and turquoise are just a few favorites I like to use with black and white around my own home. Whatever you chose, here are ten picks of the combination at its best.

Industrial modern is a design phrase that gets thrown around a lot but what exactly does it mean? To us, there is always an element that throws back to the era between the start of the industrial age and the dawn of international style. Industrial modern style can spring from living in a loft that used to be a warehouse back in the 1930s, adding reclaimed wood with a long interesting history, going a bit steampunk or using pipes as part of shelving structure, adding factory-style windows, providing classic metal stools inspired by 1930s French cafes and more.

A good industrial modern room is never cold — It’s not a sleek lacquer and metal minimalist space. There’s rough-hewn wood, glints of copper, exposed brick and/or patinaed concrete that add warmth. The story is in the shapes and textures. Here are ten of our favorite industrial modern pieces at Design Public right now.

Gus Modern Vintage Swingarm Lamp. Stainless steel arm and a vintage-y filament bulb. Plus, we prefer the wire hanging down the wall in an industrial modern space. Hiding it in the wall = too fussy.

Brave Space Design Acute High Stool. This looks like it could have been crafted in one of the warehouse spaces described above, by some modern-day carpenter/welder/all-around Renaissance person who studies the older ways of crafting objects.

Menu Wine Decanter. It has a beaker-like shape and a stainless steel top.Menu Wire Bin. It has has a simple wire look. Great for stashing all of your rolled up architectural drawings, toys, towels, flip flops, or, you know, wastepaper.

2. Sochi, oh Sochi. I don’t know where to start, but this graphic certainly lightened the mood for me. Yes, I’m 12, potty humor gets me every time. I have to wonder about the graphic artist who had to sit and illustrate things like “don’t put a fishing pole in the toilet,” or “don’t do your business in the ‘upper deck.'” Is the one on the bottom right some sort of Olympic athlete-caliber calisthenic? That position looks tougher than eight-angle pose:

photo via @SebToots/Twitter

3. Thomas Wold adds his magic to Pinterest’s offices. I was so excited to see ingenious designer Thomas Wold‘s installation at Pinterest get attention from The Wall Street Journal online as well as at Fast Company. Though I would like to state for the record that I asked him for an interview about it months ago but the man was too busy building more magical things. Way to go Thomas!

Photo by Victor Ng

4. Other people’s Facebook Movies (or even your own). JUST KIDDING! Seriously Facebook, when we X it out as “annoying or unintesting,” stop putting them in our news feeds! Sheesh.

5. Vintage NASA photographs. There’s something so cool about these, I want to blow one or two up and design a room around them. I think it would be really neat for a kid’s room as well:

photo by Neil Armstrong/NASA via NBCNEWS.com

What kinds of cool things did you catch on the internet this week? Please let us know in the Comments section.

Also, we’ve been trying our hand at Instagram (I know, we’re WAY behind the times on that one!) Please feel free to give us any suggestions on how we can be better Instagrammers, we could use the help. Have a great weekend everyone!